I Tanks on Crete

[Urmel]

From this thread: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 6&t=197677

Overall, it seems no one knew quite how many tanks had actually been on Crete even a few months after the battle. I stumbled upon this, the report made by the US military attaché in Cairo Major Bonner Fellers, Air-Borne Invasion of Crete (September 1941). It has appendices that I believe are British sources, but the sources have been censored out. Anyway, he claims there were 8 infantry tanks and 16 light tanks. Listed by areas in his portion of the report, they were placed as follows:
Maleme sector: 2 I tanks, 10 light tanks
Retimo sector: 2 I tanks
Heraklion sector: 2 I tanks, 6 light tanks, and "Reinforced by Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders from EGYPT during battle; also 2 "I" tanks."

The number of infantry tanks coming as reinforcements is noted as 3 in appendix No. 11, "British losses in Greece and Crete" signed B.F.F., page 239.

However, the OOB in Appendix No. 4, "Service Committee on the Campaign in Crete" (I assume this to be the Combined Ops Inter-Services Committee report?), Appendix B, page 128, lists the following tanks by units:
Heraklion sector: 6 (3 H) + 5 (7 RTR) light tanks
Retimo sector: 2 I tanks (7 RTR)
Maleme sector: 10 light tanks (3 H), 2 I tanks (7 RTR)

In total: 21 light tanks and 4 infantry tanks.

Interestingly, the weekly AFV state report from G.H.Q. ME to London on 22 May states the following numbers:

I-tanks = 9
Light tanks = 16

Note how the total is the same (25). I would trust this report to be the final word. The I tanks seem to have been sent in two batches, of 6 and 3 respectively, with the 3 coming from 7 R.T.R.. The batch of six are reported to London as sent on 13 May, together with the 16 light tanks. The batch of three appears in the report of 22 May, so were booked to Crete inbetween. This is confirmed by the 7 R.T.R. war diary, which states that they landed on 14 May in Suda Bay. So Bonner Fellers was almost right, he only had the number of I-tanks sent with the A&SH movement wrong, missing one.

[Urmel]

Now that we have probably solved the numbers issue, does anyone know where the crews for the first six I-tanks came from? The second lot of three was crewed by 7 R.T.R.

[Tom from Cornwall]

Interestingly the History of the York and Lancaster regiment puts the garrison of Heraklion at:

"Therefore on the eve of the German attack on 20th May, the garrison of the sector numbered about 4,000 British and 3,000 Greeks. The detailed composition of these troops was as follows:
Commander ... Brigadier B.H. Chappel, D.S.O.
Infantry ... 2nd Bn. The York and Lancaster Regiment.
2nd Bn. The Black Watch.
1st B. The Leicestershire Regiment (from Egypt)
P.79
300 Australian riflemen and 25o artillerymen armed as infantry.
Artillery ... Twelve Bofors guns, two troops of heavy anti-aircraft guns and five
captured Italian guns.
Armour ... Two infantry tanks and a troop of light tanks of the 3rd Hussars.
Greek troops ... Three infantry battalions."

It also states that the reinforcement of Argylls & Sutherland Highlanders was limted to one company.

Cheers

Tom